Azusa Kawaji — Nagasaki/Fukuoka, Japan

“I think the sense of balance between goods and their packaging is important. If both designers and collaborators can be empathetic to each other’s style and ideas, better products will emerge. To that end, I feel that it is necessary to understand the thought processes and technology of the craftsmen who make the products.”

Born 1983 in Fukuoka prefecture and raised in Nagasaki, Azusa Kawaji now divides her time between both places. A fine-arts graduate from Tokyo University of the Arts, she worked in publishing and for various design companies before going freelance. She specialises in projects related to culture, art and tradition in various locations.